{Yet Another} Spring Floral

Good morning lovelies & happy Wednesday. Hopefully wherever you are right now it’s feeling like Spring is around the corner. Here in Halifax, sadly, it seems like Winter has finally hit & it’s been bitterly cold. So naturally that means it’s time for floral! Seriously, anytime I remember that it’s still winter, I just have to create some floral nails again.

Today’s nail art look was done while watching the Oscars on Sunday night & inspired by the Valentino dress worn by Keira Knightley in 2015. I remember wanting to create Nails inspired by that gorgeous dress 4 years ago… but you know, I always get distracted haha. So I decided while watching this year’s show that it was finally time.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel In the Sheer
  • Sally Hansen MG Make It N-Ice
  • China Glaze Life Is Rosy
  • Sally Hansen MG Orchid-ing Around
  • Essie Play Date
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Trouble Maker
  • Sally Hansen MG Sugar Rush
  • Sally Hansen MG Just Maui’d
  • China Glaze Metro Pollen-tin
  • Sally Hansen I ♥️ Nail Art pen in green
  • Essie Off Tropic

I’ll be honest–I used so many polishes, that I probably forgot some. But that’s the gist of what I used. I always use a ton of polishes when feeehanding my floral & I never think to write all of them down. Maybe someday I’ll remember.

I really love how this turned out, especially over the light almost nude base (with hint of holo.) A little pop of colour.

what do you think of this design? Who else is craving Spring weather hardcore? Ooooooh dreaming of maxi dresses & jean jackets & counting down the days (weeks… months…)

💗

Spring-ish Chevron Moons

Good morning lovelies & happy Saturday! Today I’ve got a brand new design to share with you because I was finally able to do some real nail art. I know… I’ve been lacking in the nail art blogging work. Work & winter have been killing my nails so I’ve got some serious shorties to contend with & no real motivation to do my nails other than a single colour.

But I’ve started using Nail Envy (again…) so hopefully that will bring my nails to life again! & I’ll actually feel like creating some lovely nail art looks again.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: OPI Nail Envy
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Essie High Class Affair
  • Essie Peach Daiquiri
  • Essie Cashmere Bathrobe
  • Essie Where’s My Chauffeur
  • The Base Coat Nail Vinyls Stacked Chevrons Vinyls.
  • NailStuff.ca small 7mm liner brush

Ooooh this look reminds me why I love chevron moons so much. Also, I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this colour combination — I wanted to try & do something that channeled Spring but also worked with all the snow we currently have — & I’m actually just so in love with how these colours compliment each other.

It makes me so sad that they chipped like an hour into work. Like, why is it always the nail art looks I love? I mean, it gives me an excuse to paint my nails again, but then I also need to get the energy to do them again, & that’s the true struggle.

Does anyone else struggle with nail art slumps? How do you cope? Let me know down in the comments below!

Hearts & Zig Zags

You know when you get a nail art look in your head & you want to try & make it work on your nails… there is nothing more satisfying than bringing it to life & it turning out better than you expected!

This look was one I wanted to try but I wasn’t sure what colours to go with. Thanks to some Pinterest stalking, I figured out exactly the colour combination I wanted! I wanted something that would fit my January mood, especially since I didn’t want my nails to look too Valentine-y.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Essie Speed Setter
  • Ardene Day Dreamer
  • Essie Mint Candy Apple
  • Quo by ORLY Diva
  • Quo by ORLY Breathable Fairy Godmother
  • The Base Coat Regular Chevron/Zig Zag Vinyls
  • The Base Coat Heart Vinyls
  • NailStuff.ca dotting tool set

I seriously think these turned out so, so cute! It feels like absolute ages since I pulled out my Vinyls & I have to admit… I missed them. I also love this combination of dark teal, grey & mint. I never know what colours to wear on my nails this time of year, but darker shades are definitely calling my name more often!

What do you think of this look?

You could definitely adapt it & turn it into a Valentine’s Day look with some pink & red polishes. & it was surprisingly easy (if a little bit time consuming) to do. ♥️

Matte Floral over Coral 🌸

First nail art of this brand new year… & obviously I had to go with floral! Who says you can only wear flowers on your nails in Spring & Summer… floral is an all year nail art trend for me. Also, I have to admit, it feels really nice to be feeling up to doing my nails again. & even though I’m a wee bit rusty, it’s like riding a bike how easy it is to get back into the routine again.

For this manicure, the polishes I used were:

  • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
  • Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat
  • Matte Top Coat: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Matte Top Coat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Malibu Peach
  • Essie 5th Avenue
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sweet Tea
  • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red It Online
  • Essie Suite Retreat
  • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sugar Fix
  • Essie Off Tropic
  • Essie First Timer
  • Essie Fashion Playground

    I love how this turned out & how the red & blurple flowers pop over the coral polish. This was definitely one of those manicures I went into with no real “plan” but kind of kind winged it… & it turned out so pretty to me! Also it was so exciting to finally get to test out my new nail art tools from NailStuff.ca.

    what do you think of this look? What nail art looks are you excited to try out this year? Maybe I’ll give watermarbling another try!

    Christmas Penguin accent nails!

    Good morning lovelies! I’m back again, & I have another Christmas-y design to share… after all it’s only 3 more days until Christmas. (When did that happen?) Today’s look is a surprisingly easy look that I’ve done & redone over the years & always come back to.

    I actually did this nails last weekend, but anyone else who works in retail this time of year probably understands the craziness which is my life right now… barely any time to breathe, let alone write a blog post… just counting down the days to my two days off over Christmas. It’s going to be GLORIOUS!

    For this look, the polishes I used were:

    • Base Coat: Essie Grow Stronger
    • Top Coat: Essie Gel Couture Top Coat
    • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Sprinkled With Love
    • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Make It N-ice
    • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Black Heart
    • Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Let’s Snow
    • Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Good Cheer-y
    • Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Fiery Island
    • Small dotting tool
    • Small nail art brush (obsessed with my collection from www.nailstuff.ca

    First I started off by laying Make It N-ice over Sprinkled with Love for a little extra sparkle…. because tis the season. & then I freehanded my little penguin over top on both my ring fingers to make my look more festive. I first saw this look on Pshiiit Nails (via Pinterest) & just loved how it looked so I needed to recreate. & obviously I had to add a little a festive Christmas-ness with some Santa hats!

    My only complaint is that my top coat smeared my penguins a little. I’ve been testing out the Essie Gel Couture Top Coat & while the lasting power is amazing, it’s not my favourite top coat for putting over nail art because it does seem to smear designs. Guess I’m still on the hunt for the perfect one!

    what do you think of this penguin design? Have you figured out what you’re wearing for Christmas? Let me know down below!